Chandigarh, October 31:
In a bid to provide much needed succour to the farmers, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ease down the process for soil excavation through just a Whatsapp message.
Divulging this, Punjab State Mining and Geology Minister Harjot Singh Bains informed that it had come to his notice that the previous Congress government had permitted the excavation activities upto three feet in an area of up to 2 acres under the ‘Sand and Gravel Mining Policy-2021’ but with a rider of manual excavation. He said that the people has been facing lot of problems and running pillar to post in government offices for permission. If a person used the machine for this purpose then a case of mining was registered against him.
Mr. Bains said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has accorded permission to use machines to make this difficult process much easier and also permitted to dig up three feet from an area of upto 2 acres through WhatsApp message. The official order has also been issued.
The Cabinet Minister said that anyone who want to dig up to 3 feet from an area of 2 acres will get permission through a WhatsApp message. He informed that the applicant must provide his/her name/father’s name, village name, village sarpanch’s name, Sub Division/District name, Aadhaar card number, mobile number and land record number of the place where excavation to be done, on WhatsApp number 99140-09095. He added that the move aimed to make this hectic process much easier for common man and farmers.
